Los Angeles – Billy Howerdel, the critically-acclaimed songwriter and multi-instrumentalist behind A Perfect Circle, makes his highly-anticipated solo debut with a Feb. 23 performance at #Happens Las Vegas.
The outing gives fans their first taste of the Howerdel’s forthcoming, as-of-yet unannounced album, with the collection’s first single, “Poison Flowers” (pre-save here), slated for a March 4 release via Alchemy Recordings/BMG.
A teaser for “Poison Flowers” can be viewed above and here
“This new album was birthed while on tour with A Perfect Circle. A weird blend of confidence, vulnerability and mortality urgently compelled me to write a letter of sorts in the form of an album,” explains Howerdel. Joining Howerdel for the live outing are Josh Freese (Just Google Him), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails), Kaela Sinclair (M83), and Kevin Maher (Fake Shark).
#Happens is an organically driven, rock and alternative new music experience that brings together artists, radio programmers, label executives, and streaming experts over a three day conference that encourages thought-provoking conversations and dynamic performances against the colorful backdrop of downtown Las Vegas. Howerdel’s performance is part of the opening night party, which is open to the public, with tickets available here.
Photo courtesy of Billy Howerdel
Billy Howerdel has perhaps one of rock music’s most well-rounded and interesting resumes. Growing up in West Milford, New Jersey, he spent hours listening to WLIR emanating out of Long Island, New York. Lying in bed, he would scribble down playlists and then scout out the records he loved in stores, among them The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dead Kennedys, and Elvis Costello. However, it was the experience of seeing Pink Floyd at Giants Stadium that triggered his lust for finding a way to work in the music industry.
Howerdel initially racked up experience in stage lighting, working for almost any band or theater production that would ask, while at the same time devoting the rest of his free time to practicing guitar. A few years of work led to a chance meeting with Fishbone, a move west and quickly becoming a sought-after road and studio tech, working with David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, and oh yeah, being roommates with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan. It was that friendship that birthed the multi-platinum alternative rock supergroup, A Perfect Circle.
Jerome, AZ – Puscifer bring their unique theater-meets-concert experience to stages nationwide this summer as the Arizona-born outfit featuring Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round tour in support of their highly-regarded 2020 album, Existential Reckoning (Alchemy Recordings/Puscifer Entertainment/BMG).
The dates, which kick off June 9 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, include the group’s largest scale performances to date with shows slated for Los Angeles’ venerable Greek Theatre (site of Keenan’s one-time-only Cinquanta mini festival), Brooklyn’s movie palace-turned-concert-hall Kings Theater and the state-of-the-art Mission Ballroom in Denver.
Over the years, Puscifer tours have traversed the Arizona desert, explored the barn dances of the American South, and tapped into the technicolor world of the Lucha libre. With Existential Reckoning the Pusciverse expanded into the cosmos. A taste of the live outing was hinted at with the ground-breaking and bedazzling “Existential Reckoning: Live at Arcosanti” livestream event. An on-demand/VOD version of the concert film and its accompanying soundtrack were released in November 2021, with physical versions of the soundtrack and film (vinyl and VHS) available via retailers on Feb. 25 here.
Puscifer TV is the online repository for all things Puscifer including the aforementioned “Existential Reckoning: Live at Arcosanti,” as well as “Billy D and The Hall of Feathered Serpents Featuring Money $hot by Puscifer,” “What Is… Puscifer,” and “A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Divine Collisions and Pythagorean Oenology.”
Existential Reckoning tour dates:
June 9 Las Vegas, NV The Smith Center – Reynolds Hall
June 11 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Federal Theatre
June 12 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre
June 14 Albuquerque, NM Kiva Auditorium
June 15 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall
June 16 Dallas, TX McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
June 19 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
June 21 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre
June 22 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
June 24 Philadelphia, PA The Metropolitan Opera House
June 25 Brooklyn, NY Kings Theatre
June 26 Wallingford, CT Toyota Oakdale Theatre
June 28 Boston, MA House of Blues
June 29 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
July 1 Rochester Hills, MI Meadow Brook Amphitheatre (Pavilion)
July 2 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
July 3 St. Paul, MN Palace Theatre
July 5 Omaha, NE The Admiral
July 6 Denver, CO The Mission Ballroom
July 7 Salt Lake City, UT Eccles Theater – Delta Performance Hall
July 9 Portland, OR The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
July 10 Seattle, WA McCaw Hall
Tickets are on-sale this Friday at 10 am local time with VIP package details to be made available in the coming days. Moodie Black open on all headlining dates.
About Puscifer
Born somewhere in the Arizona desert, Puscifer is an electro-rock band, multimedia experience, traveling circus, and alien abduction survivors. The group’s catalog consists of four full-length studio albums: “V” is for Vagina [2007], Conditions of My Parole [2011], Money Shot [2015], and Existential Reckoning (2020) — in addition to a series of EPs and remixes.
Puscifer | Photography: Travis Shinn
Beyond the core trio of Maynard James Keenan [vocals], Mat Mitchell [guitar, production], and Carina Round [vocals, songwriting], the group’s ever-evolving ecosystem encompasses Greg Edwards (bass, guitar, keys), Gunnar Olsen (drums), as well as a cast of characters such as Billy D and his wife Hildy Berger, Major Douche, Special Agent Dick Merkin, and many more. Meanwhile, the moniker’s origins can be traced to a 1995 episode of the HBO classic Mr. Show where Keenan first used the name “Puscifer.”
In addition to tallying tens of millions of streams and views, they’ve piqued the curiosity of the press. Entertainment Weekly christened them, “Exceptionally groovy,” and Revolver fittingly described them as “indescribable.” Renowned for an immersive live show, the group’s performances blur the lines between concert and theater, traversing the dusty American Southwest with Billy D and Hildy or the sweaty squared circle with Luchadores.
They’ve brought their unique live experience to life everywhere from Coachella to Bonnaroo. On their 2020 debut for Alchemy Recordings/Puscifer Entertainment/BMG entitled Existential Reckoning, Puscifer track Billy D back to the desert and, just maybe, uncover the truth about aliens once and for all.
ORGY announces Revival Tour, starting March 19 in Las Vegas. Founding member, vocalist Jay Gordon affirms “So excited to hit stages all over America at last! ORGY will be playing with some really cool artists. We are excited to come and show people how fucking happy we are that the world is experiencing live music again!! ORGY will be playing some new material that we are so excited to bring to the masses. We put a lot of heart and soul into these tracks and people will see that in our performances as well.”
With new members joining and combining their respective talents building a new and improved band, this transformation reestablishes ORGY in the hard rock and metal scene.
Jay Gordon further states, “This Covid shit is crazy too so we are taking extra care of our minds and bodies so that the energy level is at the highest and that will show when you see our performances. We ask that everyone coming to the shows is responsible enough to mask up and test before seeing any live entertainment globally and to respect the health of others as well as the artist’s that you are coming to see. Everyone needs to take precautions to help fight this awful Corona virus every step of the way. Test frequently for everyone’s sake! See u soon!!“
About ORGY:
ORGY spawned from the late 1990’s Goth music scene with their incredible remake of New Order’s “Blue Monday.” Upon release the track sold over one million copies and has sold more than20 million copies to date. In late 2005, after the release of Punk Statik Paranoiavia D1 Music and Associates, their independent DVD TRANS GLOBAL SPECTACLE via D1 Music /DLC Records, and a promotional tour, the band went on a hiatus to work on their side projects.
In 2011, after seven years of demand from fans for new music and a tour, founding member Jay Gordon (vocals) decided it was time to kick things back up and begin recording and touring again in support of ORGY’s fans. Jay found himself with the task of finding new members. First, Jay selected North Carolina native and guitarist Carlton Bost to join the ranks of ORGY. Carlton is known for his previous synth guitar work in art-rock band Deadsy, as well as for being the current guitar player for classic synth band Berlin. Other bands Carlton has been a member of, or played for, include The Dreaming, Lunarclick, 16 Volt, Tim Skold, and his own solo project Shades of Scar. Additionally, he works as a producer, writer, and re-mixer for various other artists.
ORGY Bassist, studio musician and live session performer Nic Speck came to Los Angeles via upstate New York and Miami, FL. Multi-talented Guitarist / Bass player Creighton Emrick, formerly with Vegas in Space and a host of rock bands in LA and Ohio joined the band. Creighton adds another layer of unique synth guitar sounds and melodies to ORGY‘s music.
Newest member, Hungarian born drummer Marton Veress, joined in 2019, just in time for the Pretty in Kink Tour. Formerly of Hungary’s leading metal band Pokolgép, Marton received a merit scholarship to the world famous Drummers Collective in New York City and formed Armageddon. A few years later, Marton took his backpack without knowing anyone, he moved to LA. He soon met Jake Pitts from Black Veil Brides and his wife Inna and joined their band, Aelonia.
After several years of releasing earworm singles to the masses, ORGY has proven their long-lasting potency with a refreshed line-up and sound. The modern incarnation of ORGY has been transformed and sees the band poised to re-establish themselves in the EDM, industrial and hard rock scenes. Make no mistake about it, the ORGY brand is not going away anytime soon. As long as the fans demand new music and tours, the band is ready, willing and able to fill their request.
In 2020, ORGY released a video for “Spells,” a track mixed by Eric Racy and mastered by Howie Weinberg. This newer sound for ORGY has great lyrics, melodies, and guitars.
PHOENIX — Near the heart of an ever-evolving downtown Phoenix, set back a bit from the intersection of 2nd Ave and Van Buren, sits a music venue named Crescent Ballroom – constructed in 1917 and renovated from The F.L. Hart Garage. Since its 2011 opening, the brick exterior has changed some, with an expansion adding a second level of outdoor seating. It would be here that friends, family, and loyal fans of Stefan Pruett would gather to remember the radiant and deviant man who changed countless lives, leaving everyone whom he met a better version of themselves. (Read our June 2020 memorial article Remembering the Power of Peachcake – In Loving Memory of Stefan Pruett…)
This night’s celebration of a life so rich and well-lived was a fitting way to remember Pruett. For over a decade, he was the charismatic frontman of Peachcake – a band that had started out as an experimental electronic music duo with his childhood friend John O’Keefe, and blossomed into both a nationally and internationally known band.
Among the many incredible achievements that Peachcake and Pruett attained over the years included being made honorary members of the International Peace Bureau in 2009 for their efforts to promote tolerance, peace and love through music and live performance. The IPB, along with Demilitarize.org, later selected their song “Were We Ever Really Right?” in 2011 as the official song for a worldwide event to support demilitarization worldwide. The band dissolved 6 months after their Unbelievable Souls LP was released, and Pruett went on to continue in music solo, under the stage name The Guidance.
The front room of Crescent Ballroom serves as a lounge and restaurant, as well as an additional place for other acts to perform when a larger concert is going on. Straight back from the entrance to this room is a set of double doors that leads to a large room with a stage and a second bar within. Upon entering this music venue, all guests were handed two items: The first was a brochure / program with a vastly condensed story of Pruett’s incredible life, and the second was a packet with QR codes to stream albums that included unreleased music he had worked on. It also contained a card for a drink – one last round on Stefan, with which we could raise in his memory. There was also a guestbook so that everyone who loved him could stay in touch.
Merch sales were set up in the back to the left of the stage as usual, however all proceeds from this show would go toward benefitting Rosie’s House – a music academy for children – and HEAL International (Health | Empowerment | Aid | Light).
Nearly 9 years prior, Peachcake had played their final show on this very stage. On the stage sat a lit up cut-out letter sign that simply said “HAPPY” – the same sign featured in a publicity photo by AJ Colores.
Stefan Pruett (Vocalist) – Peachcake, The Guidance | Photography: AJ Colores
To the left of the stage was also a fantastic homage, put together by Pruett’s loved ones, exhibiting items from his life and performances. Two of the outfits he had performed in were displayed on body forms – an impactful sight for those that witnessed those shows at which he donned them. The criminally underrated Unbelievable Souls record was mounted on a plaque, which was given as a gift to everyone who worked on the record as a celebration of its release. A poster for The Guidance’s headline show at the Brooklyn Fire Records showcase, on March 28 of 2019, inconspicuously hung on the wall behind the exhibit, and across the room from this was a commemorative display of prints related to that music project.
Beautiful artwork on the exhibit table paid tribute to the late singer – a painting by Chris Babicke, a large mixed media piece, a poster designed by Quokimbo, and the Peaches comic book by band member / artist Johnny McHone. A photo book titled The Magic Man featured a collection of press and social media sentiments following his passing. An article written by music journalist Ed Masley of the Arizona Republic had been laminated and laid out, along with another article from The Entertainer! Magazine by Christina Fuoco-Karasinki. Some of the photography in the articles and books was contributed by Katherine Amy Vega (Kataklizmic Design), Uriel Padilla, and Jeremiah Gratza (former manager of Peachcake, owner of The Thunderbird Lounge and President Gator Records). Scrapbooks documented Peachcake on tour, and Pruett’s personal life.
Peachcake member Mike McHale – who put enormous amounts of work into planning this beautiful night – started the evening off by thanking everyone for being there, and then introduced Forrest Kline, lead singer of the band hellogoodbye.
The show began with a somber performance that contrasted the normal upbeat and pulsing dance music that Peachcake and The Guidance produced, but it set the tone perfectly. Kline sat on a stool holding an acoustic guitar, and in between songs he talked about his memories of Pruett; one of which was a chance meeting on the streets of LA after Pruett moved there. He spoke of how much of an inspiration Pruett was, about the two of them texting back and forth about making new music, and then – in reference to making music with him – said, “I thought we had plenty of time, you know? You never know how much time you have.”
An acoustic cover of Peachcake’s “Stop Acting Like You Know More About The Internet Cafe Than Me” was recently released by Kline’s band.
Producer Jeremy Dawson, one of the founding members and keyboardist of Shiny Toy Guns, took the stage next to DJ the songs from Pruett’s solo career. In the middle of the set, a small crowd took to the floor in front of the stage to dance – the first of many moments that brought the joy back into focus. At long last, this is now, the album Pruett and Dawson completed shortly before his passing, dropped on January 14th – the day before this memorial event. How bittersweet it was to hear the culmination of all of their efforts – never able to tell him how incredible the album is.
“As a means to honor his life and all the work spent on the creation of this stunning album, together Dawson, Pruett’s family and Handwritten Records decided to continue with the release. This Is Now, is the first and last album from The Guidance.” – FindYourSounds
After Dawson wrapped up, and as the stage was being transformed for the final set of the night, a video played of McHale, A Clarie Slattery and others talking about the impact that Pruett and his music had on them. The consensus – both in the video and from everyone who spoke at the show – was that he made life fun. He reached into people and pulled out the person they didn’t realize they were, and he showed them that anything really is possible in life. There was also a short clip of Pruett talking about 4 heart surgeries he had, and his pacemaker, speaking on the congenital heart disease that would eventually claim his life – but he did not let that stop him from living life to the fullest.
“If you ever think you can’t do something, and I know everyone in this room has their obstacles and stuff they’ve gone through… don’t let that shit hold you back.” – Stefan Pruett
“He was living on borrowed time his entire life. He knew that from the time he was very, very young. He didn’t think he was going to make it out of being a teenager. Every minute of every day was bonus points. He knew it and he lived in such a way that he never made you forget it.” – The Entertainer! Magazine
There was also an anecdote from his brother’s memorial service, which was an experience described as profound. Pruett played the song “Someone Great” by LCD Soundsystem in memory of Alex Pruett, who passed away in 2007. With his “unique ability to bring people together”, he encouraged people of all walks of life to close their eyes and share “in this beautiful musical moment… creative moment with Stefan.” His aunt beautifully encapsulated who Stefan Pruett was, speaking of him as a honeybee – something his mother called him. He was, as she put it, “a builder of dreams,” in the same way a bee builds a hive.
Steven Pruett, the father of Alex and Stefan, spoke after the video ended; the pride he felt for his son and the pain of losing him evident in his voice. He spoke of the amazement he felt regarding his son becoming a singer, saying that Stefan did not even like singing in church. Calling Peachcake an iconic band, he reflected on the journey his son had taken, from MySpace, to a touring group, to an internationally known band.
It was a reunion of sorts for Peachcake. Guest singers performed in Pruett’s stead, with the first being Jessica Biaett, who was his girlfriend, singing “Hearts Can’t Lie.” Normally a peppy, yet wistful song, she gave it a hauntingly beautiful quality, making an incredible tribute to the man she lost.
McHale (vocals, guitar, keys, percussion) became frontman for a few songs, and just as Pruett wore a shirt that said “NOT A DJ” at this venue 9 years prior, he wore one that said “NOT A SINGER”. Other guest vocalists included: Chris Babicke, Damien Salamone, Mickey Pangburn (The Prowling Kind, MRCH), Jake Greider, and Jason Catlin.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 had been blazing its way through friends and family prior to the show. As such, a balance had to be struck between the crowded nightclub-like environment of a typical Peachcake show, and social distancing. Throwing back to staples of Peachcake shows, the crowd was encouraged to crouch down and spring up during the climax of “Welcome To The Party To Save The World”, and later formed a circle for mirror dancing during “Souls Have No Drum Machine”.
Peachcake closed by accompanying a video of Stefan singing “We Never Pretended To Know Anything, Why Would We Now?” in at Modified Arts (Phoenix) in 2009. It was a moving, perfect way to end the night, allowing a man who touched so many lives to posthumously perform for us one last time. With that, Peachcake ended their set, and Jes Danz took to the stage to DJ some of the songs Pruett loved and was inspired by as the night faded out.
McHale later told Burning Hot Events, “Everything I did with putting together the memorial show for Stefan really helped me get through a lot of emotions that I had with hearing of Stefan‘s passing... Stefan‘s mom, Paula, had mentioned to me how much that show meant a lot to the people that had come to it and how much it helped her and her husband as well. To me, that was the most rewarding thing about doing this show for Stefan. I wanted to give some sense of closure and celebrate him properly when we were able to.“
It has been said that Stefan Pruett left this world on June 14th, 2020, but I would argue that Kline was correct when he said that “no one really goes anywhere. We keep them in our memories and in our hearts. He lives on through his art and the connections he made.” Pruett burned brightly and fiercely, a force for good to be reckoned with, in the best way possible. He made the most of every day of his 35 years on this planet, and those he met had their lives changed for the better.
To quote the band Sleeping At Last’s song “Saturn”: “You taught me the courage of stars before you left, how light carries on endlessly, even after death.”
PRESALE STARTS MONDAY, JAN. 31 AT 10AM PT FOR FANS WHO SIGN UP FOR EARLY ACCESS TO PASSES ONLINE AT WHENWEWEREYOUNGFESTIVAL.COM
The When We Were Young Festival has announced a third date has been added to the highly anticipated fest, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
The festival will feature the same lineup on all three dates, with the exception of Alex G replacing Wolf Alice on Saturday, October 29th and La Dispute will not be performing on the newly added date.
The full lineup for October 29th includes:
My Chemical Romance, Paramore, AFI, The Used, Bring Me The Horizon, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, Alkaline Trio, Manchester Orchestra, A Day To Remember, Pierce The Veil, I Prevail, The Story So Far, Dance Gavin Dance, The All American Rejects, Boys Like Girls, Car Seat Headrest, Sleeping With Sirens, Knocked Loose, JXDN, Avril Lavigne, Motionless in White, Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills, Senses Fail, Bayside, Mom Jeans, Mayday Parade, The Maine, Neck Deep, Silverstein, Palaye Royale, Bright Eyes, Poppy, Nessa Barrett, Wolf Alice, Acceptance, Story of the Year, Atreyu, PVRIS, Saosin, Glassjaw, Lilhuddy, TV Girl, The Starting Line, Thursday, Anberlin, Jimmy Eat World, 3OH!3, State Champs, Four Year Strong, We The Kings, The Wonder Years, Royal & The Serpent, The Ready Set, Kittie, Hawthorne Heights, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Garden, Horrorpops, Meet Me At The Altar, The Linda Lindas, Prentiss and Alex G.
There will be a presale beginning Monday, Jan. 31 at 10am PT for fans who sign up for early access to passes online at WhenWeWereYoungFestival.com. Following the presale, any remaining tickets still available will go on sale to the general public beginning Monday, Jan. 31 at 2 pm PT.
General Admission tickets start at $224.99, GA+ tickets start at $399.99 and VIP tickets start at $499.99. VIP cabanas will also be available to purchase for guests 21 years of age and older.
Due to overwhelming demand, a second date has been added to the When We Were Young Festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Tickets for the new date are on sale now.
The festival will run the majority of the day, from 11am to 12am. There will be multiple stages of varying sizes placed around the festival grounds with several bands performing at the same time. The length of set times will vary. Opening acts will have shorter set lengths while headlining performances can range up to an hour or more.
Full lineup details including set times and performances by stage will be released closer to the festival.
The festival will feature the same lineup on both dates, which includes:
My Chemical Romance
Paramore
AFI
The Used
Bring Me The Horizon
Taking Back Sunday
Dashboard Confessional
Alkaline Trio
Manchester Orchestra
A Day To Remember
Pierce The Veil
I Prevail
The Story So Far
Dance Gavin Dance
The All-American Rejects
Boys Like Girls
Car Seat Headrest
Sleeping With Sirens
Knocked Loose
JXDN
Avril Lavigne
Motionless in White
Black Veil Brides
Ice Nine Kills
Senses Fail
Bayside
Mom Jeans
Mayday Parade
The Maine
Neck Deep
Silverstein
Palaye Royale
Bright Eyes
Poppy
Nessa Barrett
Wolf Alice
Acceptance
Story of the Year
Atreyu
PVRIS
Saosin
Glassjaw
Lilhuddy
TV Girl
The Starting Line
Thursday
Anberlin
Jimmy Eat World
3OH!3
State Champs
Four Year Strong
We The Kings
The Wonder Years
Royal & The Serpent
The Ready Set
Kittie
Hawthorne Heights
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The Garden
Horrorpops
Meet Me At The Altar
The Linda Lindas
Prentiss
General Admission tickets start at $224.99, GA+ tickets start at $399.99 and VIP tickets start at $499.99. VIP cabanas will also be available to purchase for guests 21 years of age and older.
What health & safety protocols will be implemented for the festival?
The safety of fans, artists and staff is thoroughly planned for among event organizers and in coordination with local authorities.
They will follow all guidelines as set forth by the city of Las Vegas and state of Nevada at the time of the festival. Preventative health measures (e.g. proof of negative COVID-19 test or full COVID-19 vaccination, etc.) may be required for this show. Details of any necessary measures will be communicated as early as possible and will be shared on the event/venue website and social media channels.
This article has been updated with the new venue for the Arizona date: instead of Big Surf Waterpark in Tempe, the festival will now take place at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, AZ.
The spring festival lineups have been announced for Brew Ha Ha Productions Presents : Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival, featuring the best in punk rock music and craft beer tasting, with all shows featuring a lineup of punk rock icons, headlined by NOFX.
Lineups vary by city and feature bands including Pennywise, Face To Face, The Bouncing Souls, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, Lagwagon and more on certain shows.
NOFX | Photographer: Jonathan Weiner
Spring Dates Announced, Summer & Fall Coming Soon
The Spring festival series includes: Saturday, March 19 at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, AZBig Surf Waterpark in Tempe, AZ (minutes from Phoenix), Saturday, March 26 at Petco Park in San Diego, CA, and Sunday, March 27 at Ventura Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA. Summer and fall Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for these 21+ events go on sale Wednesday, January 19 at 10:00 AM local time at www.PunkInDrublicFest.com
General Admission tickets start at $45 and VIP tickets start at $99 (both plus fees). Details on VIP tickets below.
The Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival was created from the mind and livers of NOFX‘s frontman Fat Mike and craft beer fanatic / festival promoter, Cameron Collins of Brew Ha Ha Productions–and named for NOFX’s classic Punk In Drublic album, which has sold over one million copies.
Music lineups for each festival date are as follows:
Mesa, AZ
Saturday, March 19 – Bell Bank Park
NOFX
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
The Bouncing Souls
Lagwagon
Authority Zero
The Last Gang
The Venomous Pinks
San Diego, CA
Saturday, March 26 – Petco Park
NOFX
Pennywise
Face To Face
Lagwagon
Get Dead
The Last Gang
Urethane
Ventura, CA
Sunday, March 27 – Ventura Fairgrounds
NOFX
Pennywise
Face To Face
Lagwagon
Ill Repute
Dr. Know
The Last Gang
Fat Mike said, “I’m really looking forward to playing these shows for many reasons…I literally spent minutes calling bands and putting this line up together…So if you’re gonna go to one punk show this year…Go to one of these, they’re outdoors!“
Festival co-producer / co-creator Cameron Collins of Brew Ha Ha Productions said, “Punk In Drublic is one of the best touring festivals on the planet right now in my opinion. It’s pure, it’s organic and it’s everything punk rock should be. We’ve been doing it since 2017 and though we had a crap 2020 like everyone else with the pandemic, PID is back and better than ever. I can’t wait to get back out there with our people!”
Craft Beer Tasting
Each Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival date will feature up to three hours of craft beer tasting showcasing an impressive selection of craft beers, including some of the region’s best. Participating craft breweries will be announced in the coming weeks. Attendees can also enjoy food for purchase from local food trucks and vendors, with vegan options available.
GA vs. VIP
Both General Admission and VIP tickets provide access to music performances and craft beer tasting from Noon-3:00 PM. VIP tickets also offer access to designated areas with shade, upgraded restrooms and a VIP Bar.
Brew Ha Ha Productions is the nation’s most successful and respected craft beer and music festival producer, known for their diverse, award-winning beer-centric events and music festivals across the United States, including Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival; Silverado Showdown; Summer Roots; Punk In The Park; Sabroso Taco, Craft Beer & Music Festival; Driftwood Country, Craft Beer & BBQ Festival; BHHP’s flagship OC Brew Ha Ha; Brew Hee Haw at the OC Fair; Brew Ho Ho Holiday Ale Festival; OC Boo Ha Ha Haunted Oktoberfest and more.
In February 2021, NOFX released Single Album (Fat Wreck Chords), their 14th full-length studio album. The band is also featured in the recently released Punk In Drublic documentary, which chronicles the first three years of the touring the Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival since its 2017 debut. Visit https://punkrocktv.com to see the film.
The Punk In The Park Tempe, AZ show is produced by BHHP in collaboration with Arizona promoter Nancy Stevens.
As always, health and safety of festival patrons is of utmost importance. The festival producers are working with local health authorities to ensure that the event is safe and in compliance with all local regulations.
The festival producers encourage attendees to drink responsibly.
For more information on Punk In Drublic Craft Beer & Music Festival:
Formed in 2014, Once Human have steadily established themselves as one of the most distinctive and destructive metal bands of the modern era. Founded by guitarist Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head) and vocalist Lauren Hart, the LA-based quintet have had noses to the grindstone throughout their existence, exhibiting a tireless dedication to live performance and a meticulous approach to capturing their crushing anthems for posterity.
Over the course of two full-length albums – 2015’s widely hailed debut The Life I Remember, and 2017’s conceptual tour-de-force Evolution – Once Human have pursued a militantly individual path, eschewing contemporary cliché in favour of a versatile and sinewy new strain of brutal but accessible metal, with Lauren’s coruscating vocals providing an endlessly emotive and humane focal point.
Four years on from their last album, Once Human are primed and ready to launch a fresh assault on hearts and ears. With a line-up completed by long-time bassist Damien Rainaud, drummer Dillon Trollope and second guitarist (and now chief riff-writer) Max Karon, the band have mutated into an even more devastating beast, as demonstrated with face-ripping aplomb on the new album Scar Weaver.
Once Human Scar Weaver album artwork
“It was not an easy path to reach this point, I’ll tell you that,” says Logan Mader. “The original masterplan for the band was really passion-project driven. The first two albums, we were still finding our way. Where we’re at now is with a really strong posture and by far the best album we’ve done. Over the years we’ve done a lot of groundwork and some smaller tours, just grinding things out, sometimes even in a DIY fashion. But now we have legit team around us, the band is firing on all cylinders and everything seems to be lining up this time.”
Once Human
Pieced together over the last two years, Scar Weaver represents a massive step forward for Once Human. Blessed (or perhaps cursed) with plenty of additional time during the last year’s lockdown situation, the band have been able to refine and redefine their sound, inspired by a sudden creative surge from latest recruit, Max Karon. The result is an gloriously idiosyncratic modern metal record, with Lauren Hart’s career-best vocal performance just one of its dazzling revelations. With Once Human’s most intense and explosive music to work with, the singer has pushed herself to new heights, showcasing a vastly expanded vocal range in the process.
“I always had a tremendous amount of belief in Lauren’s ability to be a legit frontwoman, but when this began she was new, and so there was a lot of development to happen over time,” says Logan. “She’s really blossomed. She’s grown a lot as a vocalist, a performer and a lyricist through all of this.”
“Vocally, I’ve changed a lot since the last record,” Lauren notes. “My screams got lower and the cleans became stronger. I’ve become much more comfortable with clean singing through touring with (US power metal legends) Kamelot, because they really pushed me to do that. I’ve learned a lot about my voice since then. But a lot of this starts with Max’s melodies, and sometimes I felt like it would be cheating to just growl over these amazing pieces of music, and it’d be so much better to do something that complements it. So sometimes the growls have melody too!”
As its title suggests, Scar Weaver is an album that brims and bulges with notions of pain, trauma and darkness. Lauren has once again penned a stunning collection of emotionally raw diatribes, but in contrast to Evolution’s overriding concept, the new record takes a more scattershot approach, reflecting the chaos of the modern world along the way. From visceral opener “Eidolon” to the corrosive claustrophobia of the closing “Only In Death,” all human life is alive and screaming on Scar Weaver.
“The songs are all really individual,” Lauren explains. “One of them is about blood diamonds. ‘Deadlock’ is about the politics of everything that’s going on. A lot of them toy with my philosophy of death and all of that. But in comparison to Evolution, because of the energy of the world, these lyrics have a much more dire tone. Evolution was more triumphant, because I wanted people to feel uplifted. I really tried with this album to be positive, but then I’d look at what I’d written and it was a downer! I guess the energy of the world right now helped me to write those lyrics.”
One instant highlight of the new Once Human record is preview single “Deadlock,” featuring a typically imperious vocal cameo from Machine Head’s Robb Flynn. Logan Mader’s history with Machine Head is well documented, not least in recent times when he toured the globe with Robb for the Bay Area band’s Burn My Eyes 25th Anniversary Tour. As a result, this new collaboration needs no explanation, but Lauren remains thrilled by the whole experience.
“It was absolutely amazing, are you kidding?” she grins. “I didn’t believe it was happening until he sent something back and I heard his voice on our song. I was like, ‘Holy crap! This is real!’ He came back with a new chorus and it was so much better than mine, so my chorus was gone! [Laughs] But then performing with him in the video, that was insane. The energy he brings on stage, he brings in person too. It was a great experience and his energy is so powerful. The video came out amazing!”
As the world begins to open back up, Once Human, fresh off Cradle of Filth‘s Lustmord and Tourgasm tour,are in the strongest position of their careers so far. Scar Weaver is a manifestly superior piece of work, with countless unforgettable hooks, riffs and moments of warped savagery (if the riff at the end of “Deserted” doesn’t make you want to run through a brick wall, check your pulse!) colliding to create a record of true originality and rare intensity.
“We’ve gotten through so many things along the way, we’re in a really strong place,” Logan avows. “Nothing can fuck us up now. That’s an important factor in this band – that internal energy.”
The perfect, invigorating antidote to the state of stasis that we’ve all endured over the last two years, Scar Weaver is the sound of a great band becoming greater, hitting their stride and discovering new levels of power, passion and punch in the process. As the world begins to open its doors once more, Once Human are fully equipped to launch their biggest and most life-affirming assault on the world’s senses.
“We have an amazing record, we’re ready to crush it, we have a really good chemistry between all of us,” says Logan. “We’re really good friends, and that’s really important. I think you can feel that when you see us onstage, like, ‘These guys are actually happy to be here and they like each other!’ That’s a bonus. It doesn’t have to be like that. But luckily we have a really cool, strong bond. It’s so important for us to get out there and connect with people in a real life environment.”
Just in time for Halloween, Alt-Metal band Vajra release a disturbing, horror themed music video for “Wavering”, a dark ambient piece from their EP Irkalla.
Written, produced, shot, and edited by vocalist Annamaria Pinna and bassist David Sussman, “the video for “Wavering” is the third chapter of a larger film inspired by the Sumerian classic hero myth, ‘Descent of Inanna,’” explains Pinna. The pair just received three Official Selection distinctions from the Montreal Independent Film Festival 2021, the 2021 ARFF Paris and the New York Independent Cinema Awards for their video “Maya”, which was released last year.
On the release of “Wavering”, Pinna reveals, “this song is a very different format from the last three singles we’ve released. It’s more of a meditative piece rather than a full-on Alt-Metal song. In ‘Irkalla’, our objective was to weave a tapestry of melodic Alt-Metal with dark ambient experimental pieces that create an esoteric space to explore the dark night of our souls. ‘Irkalla’ is meant to be listened to in its entirety, and ‘Wavering’ is a part of that experience. What is important is that the music may provide a portal to go on a journey. The journey will be different for each individual. My musical heroes have done this for me. ‘Wavering’ may surprise some of our fans and we are excited to introduce this song as a bridge to our dark ambient musical side.”
In connection with the release, Vajra will be holding a contest to give away the handmade coffin featured in the “Wavering” music video to one lucky fan, along with a full Irkalla gift pack including: Irkalla vinyl, CD, T-shirt, ritual pack, mask and stickers. Yes, Vajra is actually giving away a coffin; a hand-constructed pine box made by an Upstate New York casket artisan, and perfectly suitable for burial. For contest rules, check out the band’s website and socials. The winner will be announced at midnight on Devil’s night into Halloween, and will be personally hand-delivered by the band within 99.9 miles of NYC. The contest is free to enter. Contest rules and details are on Vajra’s website and social media pages.
Irkalla is available both digitally and physically on CD/vinyl. Physical copies include an additional dark ambient EP dubbed the “Shadow Queen Ritual Music” which is not available anywhere else.
Today’s announcement follows the band’s previous release this past August for the single “Crown or Crucify” which exclusively premiered with Revolver Magazine. Revolver explains, “Musically, the track oscillates between tender verses that explode outward during the choruses with crunchy guitars and frontwoman Annamaria Pinna’s robust vocal delivery. It’s powerful, catchy and sentimental all at once, and its video captures all of those elements visually.”
Their single for “Sever the Tie ” exclusively premiered on Metal Injection last December. They describe Vajra as “a band that mixes sorta djenty prog with epic melodic rock. They’re sort of like if Jinjer and In this Moment collaborated.”
The band’s single “Maya”, released last year, charted on Billboard at #2 Mainstream Rock Indicator Most Added, and #26 Mainstream Rock Indicator.
About Vajra
Vajra was formed by the esoteric femme fatale Annamaria Pinna during her self-imposed exile in India, where she wrote the band’s cult debut album Pleroma. The band has been championed by Loudwire, with the heavy music outlet featuring Vajra on their Loudwire Music Festival and Rolling Stone proclaiming them a “must see act.” AXS said, “Vajra is really something special and have managed to come up with a completely new sound of metal. They bring mystical, moody and haunting melodies to the stage that are completely entrancing.” Vajra is Annamaria Pinna (vocals), Dave Sussman (bass), Al Javier (guitar) and Jimmy DeMarco (drums/percussion). Blake Fleming (ex-Mars Volta) played drums on both Pleroma and Irkalla.
Named after a ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force), Pinna explains, “I see us as travelers who go outside the bounds of a sense-based perception to catch a musical or lyrical idea and then translate it to the material realm. When we get out of our own ways, we are translators or conduits for energies that move through us. Honoring what comes through is important for us.”
For Fans of Elliott Smith, Father John Misty, Sufjan Stevens
“With his cello playing bringing the required atmosphere, “Kinds Of Light” is the new single from Seattle-based Jeremiah Moon. A stylistic meeting place between Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens, there’s both sophistication and songcraft here.”– Songwriting Magazine
Seattle-based singer/songwriter/classically-trained cellist and illustrator Jeremiah Moon has released a companion music video for his latest single “Kinds Of Light,” off his forthcoming debut EP ‘Sputnik‘ to be released via Enci Records (The Joy Formidable, Beach Goons, Fences). After making its premiere yesterday on Week In Pop, the gorgeous clip is now streaming here.
“…serene, sacred and solemn.. carefully crafted mix of restrained rhythms and chamber pop string progressions deliver a subtle baroque arrangement that conjures a sense of cabin essence, setting the tone for a reflective work on the meaningfulness of others that reaches outward from the confines of home.”– Week In Pop
Jeremiah says, “(Kinds of Light) is about opposing selves, the way relationships with other people compel us to reckon with our own identity, the way our stories gradually become histories, and the things we choose – or don’t choose – to carry with us. The underlying thread, like all 5 songs on the EP, is connection between people – the ways that we try to understand each other, and the ways we change each others’ orbits.”
The tracks that make up the ‘Sputnik‘ EP were recorded with friend and producer Adam Black in a remote cabin in Florence, OR. He says, “We laid down the main tracks during this time and pieced together the rest of the EP and arrangements over the next couple of years.”
Moon’s music bears the mark of the musicians that inspired it, channeling the energy of a diverse list of influences that range from Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Thom Yorke, Blake Mills, Sufjan Stevens, Claude Debussy, and Nick Cave, to Mahler, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Ravel, and the poetry of Christian Wiman, all while simultaneously carving its own path.
Jeremiah Moon
The son of a classically trained violinist mother, Moon would start taking cello lessons at age 7, playing music (solo, chamber music, and orchestra) all through high school.
After graduating, Moon studied cello performance at Boston University. He recalls, “I started writing my first songs when I was home on summer vacations.”
In 2013, Jeremiah moved to Seattle and started accompanying guitarists for live shows and recording sessions, as well as working on his illustration skills and building a portfolio of his work. He says, “I started seriously working on songwriting in 2018 after being challenged by a friend to take myself more seriously as an artist. The 5 songs on my EP were a direct result of the momentum from this burst of inspiration.”
